Tube-cleaner.



No. 828,173. PATENTED AUG. 7; 1906.

T. ANDREWS. TUBE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12 1906.

INVENTOR Zomwflndrews ATTORNEYS a section on the line aim of Fig. 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ANDREWS, OF nocmar, NEW-JERSEY.

TUBE-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 7,1906.

Application filed January 12, 1906. Serial lid 295,736.

To all: whom it may concern: Be it, known that I, THOMAS ANDREWS, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of 'Rockaway, in the county of Morris and State This invention relates particularly to improvements in devices for cleaning scale or the like from the interior of steam-boiler tubes, the object being to provide a tool for this purpose of the turbine type that may be operate by air, steam, or water pressure and having ports and turbine-blades so arranged phat the motive agent may operate withgreat orce.

I- will describe a tube-cleaner embodyin my invention and then point features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding arts in allthe figures.

Figure l is a longitu 'nal section of a tubecleaner embodying my invention. Fig. 2 .is Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y of Fig. 1, and Fig.- 4 isa section on the line 2 z of Fig. "1'.

Referring to the drawings, head. of the cleaner, which is practically in the form of a truncated cone, and this head is provided with an annular chamber 2 for receivingt-he motive agent,,and at the inner .end of the head is a chamber 3, in which the turbine 4 rotates. Communication is provided between the chambers 2 and 3 by orts 5, which extend'through the Wall of the ead, and these ports, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4, are arranged at an acute angle, air, steam, or water passing through the same will strike the blades of the turbine laterally.

The blades 6 are arranged on the periphery of the turbine with a s iral trend, these blades forming the side wal s of'buckets for receiving the motive agent. The blades are formed integral with the body of the turbine 4, and preferably a steel collar? is shrunken onto the blades, as clearly indicated in the draws a Extended forward from the turbine at its centerand cast integral therewith is a cylinder 8 for a piston 9, and projected outward from the cylinder and also formed integral therewith and with the turbine-wheel are pairs of lugs 10, and between each pair of lugs an outwardly-extended arm 11 is pivoted,

out the nave 1 designates the so that the each arm carrying a cutter, here indicated as a plurality of disks .12, mounted to rotate on a steel ment wlth its arm. Thearmshavt link connections 14 with the piston, as indicated in Fig. 1.' The said links have pivotal ooh-nection with lugs 15 on the arms'and also have pivotal connection with lugs 16, formed on v the piston. s a v The outer end of the head 1 is provided with a coupling me'mber'17 for engaging w th apipe .or tube, which conducts'the motive agent to the head, and extended centrally through the head and se and to its front and rear walls is a hardened-steel bushing 18, hav-. ing a flange '19 at its inner end, which is receiv'ed partlfy in a depression formed. in the inner end 0 -t partly in a de ression formed in'the 'ad acent side of the tur bine. This bushing is-held rigidly in'position by meansof a nut 20 on its outer end, said nut engaging with the outer side of the outer end wall. Extended through and rotating in the bushing 18 is a tubular shaft 21, on which the turbine 4 is mounted, and the bore of this shaft communicates with the interior of the c lin-I der 8.. The shaft 21 is held-from longitu inal movement by me'ans'of a nut 22, enga gits. outer end and bearing against the en of the bushing 18.

In the operation the motive agent entering the head will pass through the same, aportion of the motive agent passing through the ports 5 to the buckets of the wheel, thus i-mparting a rapid rotary movement to said turbine. A portion of the air or other motive agent will pass throughthe tubular shaft 21 and by impingingagainst the iston' 9 will force, the same"0utward, and .t movement of the pistonobviously will spread heinner wall of the head' and s outward in 13, having screw-thread engagethe arms 11 to' cause the cutters carried 7 thereby to engage with suitable pressure against the inner surface of the tube. It will be noted that'with a cleaner embodying my invention the outward movement of the cutters is positive, or, in otherwords,.

the outward movement does not depend upon centrifugal force, as. in some other tube-cleaners. Further, in

the parts may be readily assembled, and the several members are not liable to get out of v The cutters will wear "practically I order. even and last for a considerable. length of time. By saying that the cutters will wear the tool herein described,

IIC

practically even it is obvious that in time several cutters in a set will be slightly ta-" pered becauseof the angle of the arms carrying-the cutters; but by making the cutters of a set in the manner shown several cutters of the set may be removed and transferred from one place to another.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A tube-cleaner comprising a head having an annular chamber for receiving a motive agent, and also having a chamber at its inner end communicating with the firstnamed chamber through ports arranged at an angle transverse of the head-axis, a tubular shaft extended through the head, a turbine mounted on said shaft within the inner chamber, a cylinder on the turbine, with which the tubular shaft communicates, a piston in the cylinder, tool-carrying arms mounted to swing on the turbine, and link connections between said arms and said piston.

2. A tube-cleaner comprising a head having an annular chamber for receiving motive agent, and also having a chamber at its inner end communicating with the firstnamed chamber through annularly-disposed ports, a bushing extended centrally through the head, a tubular shaft arranged to rotate in said bushing, a turbine attached to the tuseams bular shaft within the inner tubular chamber. a cylinder on the turbine With which the tubular shaft communicates, a piston in the cylinder, arms mounted to swing on the turbine, tools carried by said arms and link con nections between said arms and the piston.

3. A tube-cleaner com rising a headsubstantially in the form of a truncated cone,

and having an annular chamber for receiving a cylinder formed integrally with the turbine,

and pairs of lugs also formed integr'alwith the turbine.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

. THOMAS ANDREWS. Witnesses:

E. BERTRAM MoT'r, ELIAs B. MOTT. 

